Le Crocodile Restaurant Review

: Le Crocodile matches professional service with chef Michel Jacob's classic French cooking featuring seasonal West Coast ingredients. Presented in a serene dining room set with crisp white tablecloths and lush floral displays, lunches attract a business crowd, while visitors, romantic couples and family clans claim the evenings. It's also not uncommon to see a fraternity of local chefs --- many got their start in Jacob's kitchen --- dining out together. Jacob's assured hand resonates in a classic Alsatian onion tart, oven-roasted bone marrow, plus a foie gras terrine and foie gras crème brûlée duo. Other “must taste” dishes include New Zealand venison and duck confit with black truffle cream sauce and citrus reduction, grilled wild British Columbia salmon, roasted Fraser Valley duck breast, and pan-seared veal sweetbreads. A weekly five-course chef's tasting menu at $85 might just be one of the best deals in town. Finish with a lemon tart, crème brûlée à l'orange, or a selection of French cheeses. The key to Le Crocodile's success? "Consistency, year in, year out. It's the hardest thing to do," says Jacob, who is often spotted in the dining room chatting with guests. The wine list offers impeccable French selections together with some of BC's best bottles, and tasty picks from other parts of the globe. A fine Cognac or vintage Armagnac is an ideal finish to a meal.